ACT I
Once upon a time the young queen gave birth to a baby girl who had skin white as snow, lips red as blood. They named her Princess Snow White, but sadly, a few days after Snow White’s birth the Queen died.
A year later the King, Snow White’s father, married again. The new Queen was very beautiful, but so vain and haughty that she could not bear anyone to be more beautiful than her. She had a magic mirror – when she looked into the mirror and said:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
who's the fairest of them all?",
and to which the mirror would always reply,
"You are the fairest one of all ".
Then she would be happy, for she knew the mirror always spoke the truth. Meanwhile Snow White was growing up, and the older she grew the prettier she became, so that by the time she was seven years old, she was far more beautiful than the Queen.
One day when the Queen asked her magic mirror:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all? "
it responds,
"Queen, you're the fairest where you are,
but Snow White is more beautiful by far".
The Queen began hating Snow White. As Snow White grew prettier with every passing day, the Queen’s jealousy and anger grew. At last unable to bear Snow White’s beauty any longer, she called her Huntsman and said to him, "Take the child into the forest, and kill her".
The Huntsman did as the Queen asked – he took the little girl into the forest and prepared to kill her, but he found himself unable to kill the girl. Instead, he let her go. The child ran off through the trees deep into the forest.
Back in the castle, the Queen, asks her Magic Mirror again:
"Magic Mirror on the wall.
Who now is the fairest one of all?"
The mirror tactlessly replies:
"Over the seven jeweled hills,
beyond the seventh fall,
in the cottage of the seven dwarfs
dwells Snow White, fairest one of all. "
Realizing that she has been deceived by the Huntsman, she vows: "I'll go myself to the dwarfs' cottage in a disguise so complete no one will ever suspect." She disguised herself as an old peddler selling apples and prepared a poisoned apple. One taste of this poisoned apple and the victim's eyes will close forever in the sleeping death.
ACT II
Meanwhile Snow White ran through the forest, deeper and deeper, till she could run no more. It was getting dark, and Snow White was frightened, when she saw a little cottage in a clearing. She knocked, but no one answered. Tired and afraid of staying out in the forest, she pushed open the door and went in, everything inside was smaller than normal and messy. She observed the messy dining table, a pick axe stuck in the table, the dusty fireplace, cobwebs everywhere, a pile of dirty dishes, and an unused broom. With the help of the animals, she cleaned the dusty, messy house.
Realizing that she was tired herself, Snow White lied down crosswise on three of the beds, surrounded by the dozing animals. Offstage, the sound of the dwarfs singing their marching home song was heard. The animals heard them first, dashed to the window, and then run out of the house to hide.
Having wakened up, Snow White was very surprised to see these small people. The dwarfs decided to make acquaintance with the girl:
- I am Doc, because I am the oldest and know all….
– I am Bashful, because I always feel shy….
– I am Dopey, because I always lose all…
- I am Sneezy…atishoo
- I am Sleepy, because I like to sleep….
– I am Happy, because I know many gay stories….
Finally, the seventh dwarf approached Snow White and told:
- I am Grumpy. Nice to meet you….
ACT III
The next morning before they leave for work, each of the dwarfs is concerned about Snow White's safety: "Now don't forget my dear, beware of strangers." When they leave, she kisses each of them goodbye.
But here comes the old peddler woman, she offers Snow White an apple. The girl eats the apple eagerly and immediately falls into a deep, magical sleep.
That evening when the dwarfs came home, they found Snow White lying on the floor as though dead. They could not revive her, no matter what they did. And so they mourn and place her in a glass coffin, thinking that she has died.
Time passes, and a prince traveled through the land and saw Snow White in her coffin. The prince was enchanted by her beauty and instantly fell in love with her. He kissed her goodbye and suddenly she awakened. With great joy and cheering in the forest, Snow White goes off with the Prince on his horse and soon a wedding is planned.
Conductor:
Libretto: Vitold Bobrovskii and Stanislav Piotrovskii
After the homonym stories by Grimm brothers.
Choreography: Genrih Maiorov
Choregraphy restoration: Tamara Podaruev, Maestru în Artă
Costume and Set Designer: Ala Kajdan
Set and costumes restoration: Ludmila Furdui, Maestru în Artă
Artistic leader of the ballet troupe: Anastasia Homițcaia, People's Artist
World Premiere: 1975 at Theater of Opera and Ballet „Taras Sevcenko”, Kiev, Ukraine
Premiere in Chisinau: 6 november 1988, Moldovan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
Duration of the show: 2 h 45 min (two pauses)